Antiquorum’s May 15 Auction Includes Special Reversos and Much More

On Sunday May 15 at Geneva’s Mandarin Oriental hotel, Antiquorum will present more than 500 vintage and modern timepieces, pocket watches, and clocks. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic Reverso, the sale includes 33 exceptional examples, including original pieces from 1931, ultra-rare versions with colored dials, limited series with complications, and watches with enamel-decorated case backs.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture is partnering this special “Reverso Chapter”, and will provide an Extract from the Archives, free of charge, for each lot made prior to 1950.

“It is with great pride that we present this outstanding selection of Reverso timepieces. The partnership of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture, which has examined all the vintage pieces and furnished a certificate for each one, allows collectors to bid confidently on the many variations of this historic watch that remains as modern and relevant today as in 1931, the year of its creation”, comments Julien Schaerer, Managing Director and Watch Expert at Antiquorum Geneva.

In the vintage category, the highlights of this “Anniversary Collection” include a very rare, early Steel Reverso with red lacquered dial (lot 225). Made in 1931, it is one of the most sought-after models. Estimate: CHF 5,000 – 8,000.

One of the very first models to bear the LeCoultre signature is a classic Staybrite Reverso watch with small seconds and chocolate-colored dial (lot 226), made in 1933. Six others are featured in the sale, including a rare example made for the French market and bearing the Jaeger signature, and another watch from among the few that were destined exclusively for the American market. Estimate: CHF 6,000 – 9,000.

Among the modern Reverso wristwatches to be offered, the highlight is “Mucha’s Four Seasons” No. 1/25, Ref. 276.1.62 (lot 255), a set of four enameled pieces introduced in the 1990s and made in a limited edition of 25 sets. Each case back features a painted-on enamel portrait of a woman symbolizing one of the four seasons. Miklos Merczel, the manufacture’s enamel artist, devoted dozens of hours to the creation of each piece. Estimate: CHF 60,000 – 80,000.

The auction will also include desirable collector pieces from Rolex, Patek Philippe, Breguet, and many others. Offered at auction for the first time, this Rolex “Oyster Perpetual Date, Explorer II”, Ref. 1655, Spade of Oman, was made in 1974. As one of the few Rolex watches to feature the “Spade of Oman” logo, it is extremely rare. These special watches, with case number engraved on the inside case back, were sold by Asprey, official Rolex retailer in the Arab world. The present model also bears the rare engraved “Asprey” name on the outside case back. The dial is in exceptional condition. Estimate: CHF 100,000-150,000

Also noteworthy is the Rolex, “Oyster Perpetual, Submariner, 660 ft = 200 m”, Ref. 5517/5513, made in 1972 for the British Military. Estimate: CHF 70,000-120,000.

For the Patek Philippe collector, Antiquorum will offer a Patek Philippe Reference 130 with pink dial, as confirmed by the extract from the archives. This very rare “Staybrite” stainless steel wristwatch with square button chronograph, register and tachometer scale was made in 1941 and was sold on March 3, 1943. Estimate: CHF 150,000-200,000.

For those seeking a piece with strong historical significance, one of the major highlights of the sale is this exquisite Breguet silver carriage clock with 10 complications. It was originally sold to the Marquise de Béthisy on May 6, 1878. Breguet introduced his silver humpback carriage clocks – of which only a few were made – circa 1812. The present clock is the most complicated of the eleven Breguet humpback carriage clocks known to exist. It has a total of 10 complications: grande sonnerie striking; petite sonnerie striking; alarm; perpetual calendar; days of the week; date; months; years, moon phases and equation of time. It is the only known example with quadruple digital perpetual calendar. Estimate: CHF 150,000-200,000.